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The National, Monday 17th June 2013
WE are happy that smoking in public places has been banned at last and hefty penalties imposed on those breaking the ban. We hope this will discourage people from smoking in public places. Now the question is who will enforce the ban?
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WHATEVER it is, we hope the task of enforcing it is never given to the poorly-disciplined City Rangers.
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A BUS was pulled aside in front the Works Department bus stop at Boroko. The puzzled bus driver and operator waited for the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) officer to advise them of the infringement. And guess what is was? They didn’t have a “No Smoking” sticker on the bus.
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THE officer explained to the operator the purpose of the sticker and the penalty associated with it. The operator agreed that the ban was good and when the driver was given the okay to go, the operator pulled out his cigarette and continued smoking.
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THE operator asked the NRSC officer who would collect the fine and the officer told him, em blo yu nau meaning the money belongs to you. Now that is definitely the wrong message.
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THE next ban should now be “No chewing buai” and spitting in public places. It is a health hazard and it will make the city’s environment more pleasant.
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WE are still waiting for the NCDC to clarify who has been collecting “spot fines” in front of the 4-Mile bus stop from Big Rooster to the Telikom College. There are some boys claiming to work for the new NCD Waste Company and collecting spot fines for littering.
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RECENTLY, they pounced on an unsuspecting young man claiming he had dropped rubbish. When they were asked to issue an invoice or for their ID, they claimed they were yet to be given any of each. They left disappointed that they didn’t get any cash.
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FAMILIES pooling funds in Papua New Guinea for overseas medical treatment to save the lives of afflicted loved ones is now becoming a norm in a country with limited health facilities and lack of medical specialists. Fighting the different diseases is quite a journey, those who have gone through the ordeal say. We hope there are plans at Waigani for more state-of-the-art health facilities in the country.
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YEAR in and year out, global statistics released indicate a rise in cancer cases. It is sad to note PNG will never have exact figures as the technology and equipment used are not that up to date and the majority of the cases do not reach the healthcare system.
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